


Teach Me the Difference

by conceptualblindspot



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, aot, snk - Fandom
Genre: AI, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Androids, Artificial Intelligence, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:35:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22775731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conceptualblindspot/pseuds/conceptualblindspot
Summary: Humans have created androids for their own convenience, and for years they've shared their spaces with them, promptly ignoring the growing signs of their creations gaining sentiency.Twenty years ago the love between organic and artificial broke, pushing humans under domes, in small colonies, and not even so much as a mention of AI technology allowed. When old love, Erwin Smith, walks back into Dr Hange Zoe's life, he brings a secret, and ambition, both of which she cannot resist.
Relationships: Hange Zoë/Erwin Smith, Hange Zoë/Levi, Hange Zoë/Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 14
Kudos: 45





	1. A Storm Is Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet Dr Zoe, an ambitious researcher, and Erwin Smith, a man with a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will always recommend listening to the song I mention at the beginning of the chapter as I feel it fits well with what's going on.

_“Just a little bit_

_A little more information_

_To add to my confusion_

_To add to the frustration_

_I don't need it”_

_-dredg, Information_

The hot shower came more than welcome, and as the water hit her back, she visibly relaxed. It’d been a long, long day, and it didn’t seem like tomorrow would be any different. Washing off the grime and stress of the day Dr Hange Zoe contemplated the situation she’d found herself in. It’s not every day that the company you work for gets a new owner, a complete revamp, and a sudden increase in funding for a top-secret project no one should ever know about. But more than that, the unnerving image of her new boss kept popping into her head. 

Exiting the shower, Zoe wiped off the mirror and stared at her reflection. Erwin-fucking-Smith. She hadn’t seen him since university, and the way she felt about him hasn’t changed a bit. He’s still the same, albeit better dressed, older, and colder. _I have plans for this laboratory, and I want you onboard, Zoe._ His words replayed in her head over and over again. Fuck. For a brief moment, Zoe thought about quitting. Walking away. Whatever this fucker had planned probably wasn’t any good. 

In their university days, they were friends. Maybe more, however, Zoe would be caught dead before admitting to it. Yes, they occasionally fucked, usually after a weekend binge, with a slight regret looming over them once sober. Did she like him? Back then, yes. But he was cold, intimidating, hidden behind his rich boy facade, and she didn’t trust him. Didn’t trust the smile that never touched his eyes, and didn’t trust his ambition, the way he truly believed end justifies the means. In many things, however, she did admire him. The self-discipline, the determination, the poise and control she herself never possessed. After graduation, she moved on to research and pursued her PhD, while he did what he did best. Took over his father’s company and started running a successful business, dealing in all sorts of things, and Zoe had no qualms some were less legal than others. 

With a sigh, Zoe dried herself off and got dressed, replaying their conversation from that morning. She almost dropped her jaw when her technician, Moblit, nervously knocked on her office door, guiding the new boss in. She hadn’t expected the visit so soon, and it definitely threw her off guard. He, of course, was the image of control and poise, with that polite smile on his face, looking every bit arrogant and smug as he always did. Or maybe those were her personal feelings mixed in. “Thank you Moblit,” she said, quickly waving him off and her poor, nervous technician looked more than glad to be gone. “Mr Smith,” she continued in her official, no-nonsense tone, reserved specifically for executives “we weren’t expecting you so soon down here at the labs. I’m Dr Hange Zoe, I run the research division here at Trost Inc.” She emphasised on her title, letting him know that she expects to be addressed accordingly and outstretched her hand. He took it and laughed. “We can drop the act now, Zo, it’s just you and me-” 

“Dr Zoe.” she immediately responded before giving him a chance to finish his sentence. “Here, Mr Smith, I’m Dr Zoe.” 

“I see your temperament hasn’t changed, _Dr Zoe_.” Erwin sounded amused. 

“You’d be surprised, sir.” 

“Well, Dr Zoe, if you’ll allow..” he made a short pause, and Zoe gestured to the chair across her desk, both of them sitting down before he continued, “I have a proposition for you. I don’t need an immediate answer, I need you to think about it.” There was that twinkle of ambition in his eye which piqued her interest, but Zoe remained quiet. “Of course, what I have in mind should be top secret. You’ll be approved for any funding you’d need.” 

Zoe frowned lightly “For research?” Even as the question exited her mouth, she knew that wasn’t quite the case. 

“Something of the sort. I have all the details here.” Smith fished out a yellow envelope and placed it on her desk, looking at her expectantly. For some odd reason, Zoe felt as if he expected her to grab it immediately. And if it were fifteen years ago, she’d’ve jumped at the idea of something new, a proposal, a secret. But not at this time. She was a different person and he’d do well to know and remember that. 

“No NDA? For such a top-secret project, that’s quite unusual.” Zoe hoped her regard to him would be cold, and a part of her hoped she’d thrown him off. But of course, he wouldn’t show it.

“I trust you. You’re not the kind of person to run their mouth.” 

“Oh, but people can change.” 

“I’m serious about this.” Erwin Smith, dropping the polite act, leaned forward and stared at her, eager, serious, and impatient. Oh, that’s where the bastard was hiding. “I have plans for this laboratory and I want you onboard, Zoe.”

“Dr Zoe.” 

His face remained unreadable, but the pause showed his agitation. _Good_ , she thought, _can’t always get what you want and the way you want it, Smith_. 

“Dr Zoe.” Erwin corrected himself and smiled his polite smile again. 

“I’ll look it over when I catch time in between my usual duties and get back at you,” she said without touching the envelope on her desk. Would she want to know what’s in there? To him, this was neither yes nor no. 

“You’ve changed.” he finally pressed out. 

Zoe smiled, mirroring his polite expression “It's been fifteen years, Mr Smith. Would you like a tour of the laboratories?”

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

She sat in her living room, with the envelope still unopened in her lap. Zoe reached over to her phone. Quickly dialling a number, even the silence between the dial tone and the click when the other person picked up their phone gave her solace. “Yes?” Mike’s voice came as welcome as the hot shower she took earlier. They’d been friends since high school, throughout the university, and if there were anyone who’d understand her frustrations with their once-friend-turned-successful-businessman-now-her-boss, it’d be him. 

“You’ll never fucking guess who strolled into my office today.”

“Smith.” His immediate response threw her off guard. 

“You knew?”

“He told me first.”

“He _called_ you?”

“Actually came down to the bar-”

“You kept in touch.”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t tell me.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Last time all three of us were together, you put a fist through his teeth.” Mike’s answer was simple and so a-matter-of-factly, it made her laugh. 

“You thought I’d get mad if I knew you were still in touch?”

“We’d be friends if it weren’t Smith.”

That made her burst out laughing. “Well, now he’s my boss with big plans. I think I’m just gonna quit.”

“Hm.” was Mike’s reply. He never was a man of many words. 

“ _Hm_ is right. Is he set on changing the world still?” Zoe sighed. 

“Maybe you should see his proposal first,” he suggested, and she felt a pang of suspicion.

“You know something about this?”

“No.”

“You’re lying.” 

“Yes.”

“What the hell is going on, Mike?”

“I gotta go. Read the materials.”

“Mike-” Too late. He hung up. 

Zoe stared at her lap, disbelieving. Hanging up the phone her fingers tore at the envelope. Her eyes skimmed over the contents, pages and pages of detailed research, nothing omitted, but even just lightly going through them, she got the idea what this was about. Erwin Smith was interested in artificial intelligence. Her phone vibrated next to her, effectively startling her, and she grabbed it, not even checking the number of the caller. “Dr Zoe speaking.”

“Zo.” the familiar voice reached her and she frowned.

“Smith.” Now she’s really considering walking away from this. 

“Have you had the chance to go through the file?”

“What the fuck am I holding in my hands, Smith?” She asked, “AI research and experiments have been banned after the incident _twenty_ years ago. They gain sentience. It’s been deemed unethical. We’ve been pushed to the brink of extinction. Just for having this I’m looking at a good five years behind bars.” 

“What happened to the units after the incident?” Erwin asked calmly. “The units that were involved in the incident and the ones that were stagnant, on standby.” 

“I thought they were shut off, destroyed, murdered. The rest have made their own colonies. Pushed us to live the way we do.”

“You’d think none were left in the domes, and with all the technology we’ve invested in them, they can’t figure out how to enter and infiltrate.” She could almost hear the smile in his voice.

“What do you mean by that?” all the colour left her face. 

“You know what I mean. Read the materials”

“We can’t talk about this over the phone.” 

She hangs up the phone and it immediately becomes clear why he didn’t ask her to sign an NDA. She can’t go to anyone with this. This….research wasn’t supposed to exist. Her phone vibrates again. 

Fully aware that without saying anything explicitly she already said yes to whatever Erwin had in mind, Zoe took a deep breath before burying herself in the secret documents. As her eyes rushed over the research, she couldn’t help but wonder what would make Erwin risk everything to attain this. And more. 

The controversy with artificial intelligence was something fairly new. No one expected fifty, thirty, twenty years ago that their experimentation and successful creation would lead to the catastrophe that ensued. Sure, movies were made, books were written about all the possible ways human creation would eventually lead to their doom. Zoe herself grew up in a home equipped with an assistant. That’s what they were called, assistants. They were androids, made to look and seem human, for human convenience. Back then, it was all about convenience, rather than survival. Though they’ve been warning about it, writing about it, talking about it, no one really thought it possible for AI’s to gain actual sentiency. Even at the first signs of them recognizing themselves, the humankind ignored it all. There was money involved, and as long as the house assistants did their job, all the possible problems were hushed away, swept under the rug. The general public, however, had no idea their assistants were becoming more and more self-aware. To an average human, AI help wasn’t much different than a dishwasher or a blow dryer. They were nothing more than appliances. Sure, there were cases where individuals would fall in love and marry their… special assistance androids, but this was regarded in the same way as people marrying trains, or amusement parks, or sex dolls. Deviant, weird, lonely. But all things considered, was it really that odd that people developed feelings for intelligent entities that, in some way, were able to return the very same. Feelings ended up being the root of an uprising that swept away humanity and their advanced mistreated technologies turned violent, dangerous. What else could’ve been expected, when the neural links become more than just preprogrammed codes solving tasks at hand, but actual thoughts, feelings, impulses that no one cared about, no one bothered to teach and socialize them how to control it. It was their biggest oversight, one that cost them many lives, forcing them to retreat to heavily guarded domes, mega-cities, each connected by a network of underground tunnels, heavily guarded. Outside there were colonies of _them_ , discarded, volatile, surrounding them, occupying all the spaces that once humans thought belonged to them. Zoe belonged to those who think humanity had been herded together, like sheep, just waiting for the day they'd decide organic beings were no longer necessary, and that the planet would be now theirs for taking. That’s what humans that they mirrored would do. 

The research she held in her hands was extensive, and most of the things written she already knew something about. But sifting through pages, something caught her eye and she felt the panic rise in her throat as her brain tried to categorize the information. The newest models were developed by the military. They were top of the art killing machines, equipped with knowledge and technology and they were…. Out there. Zoe set down the papers and stared ahead. There was no way for her to walk away from this. If this were true if the research notes Erwin gave her were true, their survival was at stake. They needed to know more if they wished to have any chance against their own creation.

She picked up the phone and dialled Erwin’s number. He picked up at the second ring. 

“I thought you didn’t want to discuss this over the phone.”

“I don’t. I’m requesting a meeting. Tomorrow. First thing in the morning.” 

“Alright. I’ll come by to the lab-”

“No. Your office.`` She stopped him. There was no way for them to discuss this down at the laboratory without the rest of the team overhearing them. Zoe wasn’t worried about her team disclosing information, but when it came to something as sensitive and controversial as this, knowledge could put them at risk. She wouldn't stand for it.

“Fine. My office, Dr Zoe. 9:00 sharp.” 

“See you then” Zoe hung up the phone and closed her eyes. Once again, Erwin Smith was a storm entering her life and tumbling over everything in his way. 


	2. Don't Stand so Close to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Erwin Smith presents his case and hopes Hange Zoe jumps on board.

_“I heard it's cold out, but her popsicle melts_

_She's in the bathroom, she pleasures herself_

_Says I'm a bad man, she's locking me out_

_It's cause of these things, it's cause of these things”_

_-She Wants Revenge, “These Things”_

  
  


The cityscape looked grey and almost shapeless under the heavy grey sky. Erwin stared out his window, seeing none of it. His thoughts kept shifting to Hange he had known back in university and Hange that stood in front of him; the cold, collected, polite. He thought about the way her hair had been scooped up in a messy ponytail bouncing left and right as she walked in front of him. He thought about her voice, a pleasant, deep note, with a hint of foreign intonation. He thought about the way she looked at him, the way she addressed him, the way her clever eyes tried to read his every word, every expression, every gesture. He compared her to Hange he used to know. He compared her to the way her face used to reveal her every thought, the way she’d blurt out any question that came to mind. He thought of her laughter and almost wondered whether he’d be able to hear it again. A knock on the door broke his train of thought and Erwin turned around to greet his 9 o’clock appointment. Hange Zoe entered his office with all the confidence only she could have, smiling a big, bright grin, as if she were glad to see him. 

“Mr Smith, good morning.” She kept her appearances sparkly and spotless, and he couldn’t help but feel some awe towards the woman more cunning than anyone, or anything for that matter, he’d ever met before. 

“Dr Zoe.” He replied with a polite smile and watched her demeanour change as soon as his assistant closed the door. He wanted to stand up to greet her, but Hange dismissed him with a wave of her hand and shoving it into her lab coat pocket, started to stroll around. 

“Very nice office, though, a bit intimidating.” When she finally spoke, Hange turned her head towards him, looking him dead in the eyes, not blinking, not faltering for a second. No one in their right mind would’ve thought her intimidated. 

“Intimidating?” 

“Yes.” She didn’t elaborate further, but walked over to the front of his desk and slumped down into the chair. He watched her cross her legs and lean back, still maintaining eye contact, trying to guess his thoughts. It made his lips curl up in amusement. There wasn’t a time Hange hadn’t fascinated him in one way or another. 

“So…” she started, “what exactly are you doing?”

“I thought you read through the materials I gave you.”

“I did, yes. Still doesn’t tell me what you intend to do.” Her eyes were on him, and Erwin could feel her scanning his every reaction, every movement. She was known to pick up any and every information she could. This, along with a personal reason he couldn’t bear to disclose to himself, was why he made such a colossal effort to get to her and incriminate her to his side. 

“Would you like some coffee? Tea, perhaps?” Erwin smiled. 

Hange’s face showed a hint of irritation before she laughed it off and remained calm, though Erwin knew she’d rather grab him by the neck. Oh, a guy can dream. 

“Sure, I’ll have tea. Black. Sweet.” Whatever annoyance she had with him, she’d hidden well. As he calls upon his assistant and instructs her to bring them tea, Erwin mused on how and who taught her to be this self-preserved. 

They sat in silence, watching each other. For a moment, he had himself convinced Hange wouldn’t be able to keep wordless for long, that she wouldn’t be able to keep the questions linger inside her head, but the scientist wouldn’t budge. She had become very good at this and he remembers the way she cut him off the previous day. _It’s been fifteen years, Mr Smith_. Clever girl. 

The assistant moved quickly through the room, serving their tea and silently exited. She looked tense, and Erwin knew it was the atmosphere in the office that made it so. As the door closed, Hange’s smile disappeared. She narrowed her eyes, obvious anger seeping out of her every pore, and he didn’t miss the way her fists clenched, as she tucked them back in her labcoat’s pockets. She didn’t say anything, she remained silent and waited. Waited for him to explain himself, oh he knew she’d be catching onto his every word, he knew she’s looking for an opening, he knew about her need to hurt him, and if it were just like the old times, he’d be more than happy to let her. 

Well, maybe. 

“You can’t tell me you’re happy with what you’re doing Hange,” he started, gazing at her calmly, “researching the ways you can make better air filtration systems, strengthening our dome’s defences, preparing for the day we run out of supplies.” 

“Those things,” she responded quietly, “help us survive.” There was no conviction in her words. Erwin knew her better than that. 

“You don’t believe that.”

“It’s only a matter of time before we either kill ourselves, or they do it for us.” 

“Not unless we beat them.” He said and paused, trying to read her reaction. 

Hange just frowned at him, trying to read if he’s joking or being serious. He realized this was an idea of a madman, of a man that might as well be dead, and that no one in this world would’ve said yes to his idea. 

“Elaborate.” 

“The research that I gave you contains everything we know about artificial intelligence. It is… our best chance to survive. I think it’s becoming more and more clear that, in order to do so, we must stop waiting around like sheep until they decide we are no longer necessary to exist in this world.” He had rehearsed this speech before, but as she sat opposite of a person who he wanted to hear him the most, Erwin himself felt like his conviction grew tenfold, “They have all the human history, art, knowledge, strengths, weaknesses at their disposal. They know us better than we know ourselves. We are theirs now, our destiny is in their hands. I’m not settling for that, Zoe.”

“You’re suggesting going after them,” she said, unable to hide the shock in her tone, even in front of him. 

“Yes. But for that I need you. I need knowledge if we have any chance of doing this and winning.”

“What you’re suggesting…. is war.” 

“Yes. I’m suggesting war.”

Erwin observed the woman in front of him, the way she stopped and thought about it. The way the idea seeded in her brain the way she toyed with it, already weighing in the possibility of success. 

“We don’t have enough information. We made them as close to perfect as we could. Nothing in those records suggested they have a weakness.” Her frown deepened. “You wouldn’t base this on those documents alone.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t. Nanaba,” he called on the assistant, “bring it in.”

He watched Hange turn around in her seat and stand up, locking her eyes to the door. There entered his prized possession, and Erwin couldn’t help the slight smile at the sight of the unit and Hange staring at each other. There was tension in the air, and for a split second, he thought Hange would blow, an outburst of her old self, ready to break the calm surface. But the moment passed and she, undoubtedly grinning, outstretched her hand towards the android. Erwin watched in bemusement. 

“Dr Hange Zoe, good to meet you.”

The unit just stared back, saying nothing. It wasn’t of many words, as it had been made to be a killing machine. But that wouldn’t make her back off, Erwin knew.

“Come on, I know somewhere in your database you know how to greet people and shake hands.” 

Almost reluctantly, the unit accepted her hand. “Levi.”

Hange turned back to Erwin, still wearing her grin. “A bit on a small side, isn’t he?”, she said and he noticed a shadow of irritation cross the android’s face. Good, Erwin won’t be the only one she’d be giving a hard time to. He smiled cooly back at her, “Poison is kept in small bottles, Dr Zoe, I’m sure you’ve heard this saying before.” With a wave of the hand, he dismissed Levi, having his assistant take him away. 

“By studying this unit, I believe you’d be able to give us some advantage.” he started, but Hange was quick to interrupt. 

“I know. I know what you want me to do. You think this is our best chance, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then I don’t need any more persuasion.” She looked him straight in the eyes and there was fire behind them. The hazel hues seemed to burn. With passion? Anger? Ambition? He had no idea. But at that moment he had her on board and his plans to strike back and fix humanity's mistakes were much much more tangible, much more real. Erwin leaned towards Zoe, resting his elbows against the desk between them. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“Mike knows about this plan?”

“He does have me at a disadvantage of alcohol.”

“You’ve involved him and me before even giving us a chance to refuse, you realize that don’t you.” Once again, anger crosses the face of a woman now standing in front of him. She continued, “While you have your reasons for doing so, I’m giving a way out to my team. They should value their lives and the lives of others more than you do.” And it was as if she pitied him, Zoe stepped closer, removed her glasses, and leaned against the desk, closing her face to his, making him look up at her. He wanted to raise his hand and place it on her cheek but held back. This game she was playing, they’d played before, a game with no winners on either side. Not the game of chicken, not a game of power, for if she crossed even so much as a millimetre closer to him, he’d give her all of it. Neither said a word for a while, and a knock on the door broke whatever had been happening between the two. Erwin couldn’t help a sigh of relief as he called in his assistant, who announced it was time for his next meeting. 

“I’m locking down and remodelling your lab. Levi will have his living quarters next to your office. I’ll see you once all the preparations are done.” Even he feels the way his tone is curt and tense, but Hange just smiled, stood up straight, and tucked her hands back into her pockets.

“Very well, Mr Smith. Have a good day.”

And just like that, the scientist turned around and walked out of his office. 

“Give me ten minutes, Nanaba, I’ll be right there,” he instructed and leaned back in his chair. He had moved his first figures on this chest board, but the figures themselves could present problems and not move in the way he’d want them to. Hange knew him too well, and this could be his strength or weakness. She had changed so much, there was no way to predict what she’ll do, but the image of her burning eyes staring back at him made him hope. And hope was the best thing they all had to hold onto. 


	3. Cooperate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hange and Levi try to level with each other for the first time.

_ “that girl thinks that you're an angel _

_ she'd pour you in her glass of wine _

_ thirsty for the truth _

_ she'd stain her lips with you _

_ and the best thing you could do _

_ the best thing you could do would be to love” _

_ -Luna Li, Opal Angel _

Zoe stood with her hand holding the doorknob to her office for a moment, gathering her thoughts before she entered and faced the team that had been working for her for a couple of years now. They were all excellent people, hard workers, and sharp scientists, and it was safe to say she had enjoyed her time being their team leader. She had immense respect for them as scientists and people, and she knew what she was about to ask them was going to shock them. Briefly, Zoe wondered how many, if any, would stay with her. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. 

“Good morning Squad Hange!” Zoe greeted them in the usual manner and all as one replied, 

“Good morning, Dr Zoe!” 

“I hope you had a good night of sleep last night because today’s meeting is something some of you might not enjoy in the slightest.”

They shifted around in discomfort and as she sat in her chair and looked around the room, there was anxiety evident in their faces. 

“Does this have something to do with Mr Smith’s visit yesterday?”, asked Nifa, one of the newer members of the team. “Will our funds be cut?”

“Yes and no,” Zoe replied.

“What I’m about to say stays in this office and doesn’t leave your mouths. I’m warning you right now that involvement in this team and a new project we’ll be taking on is illegal, and the consequences of being found out are severe. Those of you who would rather not take on that risk is welcome to leave, no hard feelings involved.” she smiled at them, looking at each face, expecting. There was only silence in the room, most of them musing over the warning, avoiding her gaze. 

“We’re staying. Dr Zoe, please update us on the matter at hand.” Moblit’s voice was shaking, he knotted his finger together, trying to keep himself calm, but Zoe saw the look on his face, the determined stare. Everyone in the room was quiet, expectant, and was agreeing with her second in command. They were there to stay. She smiled fondly at them and took a deep breath. 

“We are under a new administration, and they are not interested in air filters, and dome strengthening.” She started, “All of the skills and knowledge we have acquired together over the years might be useless with what we’re about to do.” And then she told them. Told them everything about the research, about the military, about the unit Erwin somehow had in his possession. And when she finished, she took another deep breath and looked around the room once more, taking in their reactions. There was shock mixed with confusion and fear. Of course, Zoe thought, this is new to all of them. 

The first one to speak was Moblit. “Maybe we should’ve left after your warning, Dr Zoe,” he said and the tension dropped as the room burst into laughter. 

“Well, starting anew on a super-secret project could be interesting, but our facilities will need to be greatly readjusted, not to mention, if the government isn’t in on it, and much against it, we’ll need to figure out the way to explain ourselves to the inspections,” Keiji said. He had been alongside Zoe the longest, and she valued the pendency and preciseness he possessed. Soon, the conversation turned to all the practicalities of undertaking this massive project, of taking on the biggest responsibility of any of their lives. For a moment she lost herself in these thoughts until Moblit’s voice snapped her back to reality. 

“Dr Zoe?”

“Yes?”

“We… need further instructions.” 

“Go home.” she said “Go home and rest. We won’t have anything to do with this laboratory for a week until all the arrangements are done. And speak of this to no one.”

Unsure, the team slowly dispersed, and she was left alone under the neon light of her office. 

All of it was a lot to take in. Leaning her elbows against the desk, she put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. She wondered why every interaction she has had with Erwin always took so much out of her. When stood face to face, so close to each other, Zoe could’ve sworn his cold stare softened a little bit. For some reason, that made her angry. He shouldn't have been soft. Not if he were about to do what he had planned. The more she thought about it, the more it became clear that Erwin planned to fight fire with fire. To beat the monsters, he would have to become one. To do so, this man decided to throw away his humanity, to go through, what he believed to be the ultimate sacrifice. But back then, back in his office? What was that? Even if for a brief moment he showed her fondness, and Zoe had a slight clue what it meant. And then there was the android that was supposed to be the key to Erwin’s entire scheme. The image took over her thoughts, clear as the dome’s protective field. The hair hanging from each side of his face, the eyes, grey, but pupils unmoving. The nose that was not special by any criteria. The bulky build, along with short stature. And the way the android’s hand was warm when she shook it. The thought unsettled her. If Zoe hadn’t known any better, she would’ve thought him human. The imitation was perfect, right down to the tonality of his speech. She had been revisiting this thought in her head over and over again when it dawned on her. Infiltration unit. If they had been built of cold metal, no human characteristics, they would’ve been too easy to spot, too easy to single out. But if they looked like humans, they had a world of opportunities in their hands. Zoe wondered how many of them she already passed on the street, unknowing, ignorant. The thought was chilling, making her resolve to ask more, know more, get more. Out of Erwin, or Levi, it didn’t matter. She made her decision, and if it were to kill her, she would stick by it. 

* * *

He stood at the door in complete silence, staring at the woman behind the desk. She didn’t move, her head in her hands, fingers buried in the mess that was her hair. The only movement in the office was her chest slightly rising and falling with her breath. Breathing. He wondered about that. He wondered about many things. A lot of them had to do with her. After all, they would have to spend a lot of time together. For a moment he thought of approaching the woman, but her stillness made him stay still as well. 

All of a sudden, she moved. The woman quickly stood up and looked at the door where he stood, eyes wide, looking right at him. In a split second something switched off, something switched on and he found himself crossing the short distance between them before even realizing it. He hadn’t missed the way her hand quietly opened a drawer. A means of self-defence, perhaps. But she remained calm, questions evident on her face. He sat down across from her, and she followed suit, without breaking eye contact for a second. 

Levi was curious about this woman. From the first moment, there had been no evidence of the usual reservation. She offered him his hand when most people, upon gaining the knowledge of what he was, took a step back. Even Erwin Smith, the man that brought him into the dome, put a considerable amount of distance, but he did that with everyone. Everyone… except her. She wasn’t fearless, he didn’t think, but something was driving her forward, and that drive was stronger than anything else about her. How interesting. 

“The fact that you don’t blink is a bit unsettling. I wonder if it can be programmed in. Not good for an infiltration unit to have such an obvious flaw.” The woman said and smiled. Smiled at him. He slowly blinked. 

“Infiltration unit?”

“Why else would you have been built like this?”

“I was built by humans.”

“You mean there are those built by your kind as well?”

She was sharp. Caught onto his words. Yes, she smiled at him, but there was nothing behind that smile. Nothing. None of his analysis could figure her out. All of the data collected on humans and human behaviour and none of it could compute into a clear image of her. There was no conclusion, no end to this process of figuring her out. 

“What’s the deal with you and the old guy?”

“The old guy?”

“Erwin Smith”

And she laughed. As she did, she removed her hand from the drawer, shutting it closed. “Do you think this is a two-way relationship?”

He didn’t respond. This was a question but the links in his system couldn’t produce an answer. He didn’t know what she meant. 

“I figure you out, you figure me out. Collect data?” She continued, “Who for?”

Once again he couldn’t compute what she had meant. She spoke so fast and the messages that she sent out were unfinished, hanging in the air, waiting for him to complete them. He would have to develop brand new codes and algorithms to understand what this woman was saying. 

“I don’t follow.”

“Are you going to learn about me, about humans because  _ you _ want to know more because  _ you’re _ curious. Or will the data you may gather be of use to someone else.” The woman said, and he tried to fill in the blanks. She said someone, not something. How unusual of humans. Did she mean someone as in Erwin Smith? Or does someone include others of his kind? 

“You ask a lot of questions.” He said. 

“You don’t ask any.” She replied, with a smile, and without missing a beat continued, “Your hand was warm earlier. Why?”

He frowned at her. Did it matter? The scientist was irritating if that was the right term for the experience the conversation had been up to a point. He didn’t have an answer. She held out her hand, palm up, and he had no clue what that meant. Once again, the processes failed to compute. “Your hand.” She said, but her tone was lower in volume, softer in the manner of speaking, and before the split second it would’ve taken to search through the database to find its meaning, he followed her request, putting his hand in hers. 

“Cold.” The woman didn’t take her eyes off of him for a second, and he couldn’t look away either. His receptors picked up on her pulse, the steady beat of her heart, reading her body temperature, and Levi sent signals to his hand to match hers. She raised her eyebrows at him. 

“The data shows that physical contact is more pleasant to humans if their body temperature is met.”

He felt her pulse quicken. “Do you wish this contact to be pleasant to me?”

“I’ve known nothing but serving humans.” 

And once again he saw her face change for a split second, a face he couldn’t find in the database, a face he couldn’t read. It dawned on him that in this regard, she was much like Erwin. Whereas the man showed nothing, she showed everything, everything in a single moment, confusing the systems put in place. Was she sad? 

“I thought you were a military unit.”

“I am.”

“Serving humans?” She nodded at their hands, “In this way?”

“It’s been programmed into me.”

“By who?”

“Unknown.”

“You’re supposed to have this information.”

“It’s been a long time since the last human maintenance.”

“Elaborate.”

“Humans put in their codes and feeds and records when they make changes. We just upgrade with what we have and deem necessary at the moment.” 

“Interesting.”

“Elaborate.” He asked right back at her. She smiled and her grip around his hand gripped tighter, but only for a moment. 

“I just find it fascinating. It seems like I have a lot to learn.”

Learn. That word seemed important to her. Seemed somehow emphasized and he ran it through the database. Learn. Verb. To gain knowledge or skill in a new subject or activity. To make yourself remember a piece of writing by reading it or repeating it many times. To start to understand that you must change the way you behave. To be told facts or information that you did not know. 

She wished to acquire information. About him. About ones like him. He was inclined to do the same. Acquire information. About her. About the likes of her. Analyzing this woman was allowed and in the sphere of his agreement with Erwin Smith. It made sense. 

Why, then, did they sit in silence, watching each other, with his hand in hers?

What had they learnt? 

What was acquired?

When she finally pulled her hand back and stood up, Levi followed suit. It was time to go back to his temporary place. 

“Well,” she spoke, “You and I will be spending a lot of time together from now on. I’m hoping it to be a successful cooperation.” 

Cooperation. Once again a single term seemed to stand out. And with it, Levi identified the reason why Dr Hange Zoe stood out to him. She considered them equal. This new piece of information that he  _ learned _ found its way into the permanence of what humans would consider a mind, but all he had was clusters of data. 

“What do you prefer to be called?” He asked and she grinned at him. 

“Just Hange will do.” 


	4. Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mike hates being in between his friends, and despite his hopes, they resolve nothing.

“We’re closed.” Before she could even get a word out, Mike yelled from across the bar. He sat at his favourite table near the window, legs crossed, nose buried in a book, with an unlit cigarette hanging from the side of his lips. 

“It’s me,” Zoe called back and made her way to him.

“You need a haircut.” He said, without taking his eyes off the book. 

“You’re the one to talk.” Her reply was quick as she sat down and looked at her friend. The hay-blond hair hung over his eyes and he looked like he hadn’t been grooming his moustache in weeks. “Looks like I’m not the only one who’s had a rough time lately.”

He said nothing in reply, instead just nodded over to the bar. A bottle of whiskey and two glasses stood there, waiting. 

“Fucker.” She said through a grin and walked over to fetch them. Mike always had a good nose for these things and his intuition was on point. Though he never was a man of too many words, they always seemed to be the right ones. Even when he’d say nothing at all. 

“Did you meet him?” Zoe asked, pouring them a glass. He shut his book and set it down before looking at her. 

“Him?”

“The unit.” 

“The unit’s a he….” Mike mused over this for a moment, “Yes, I’ve met him. I was there when Erwin negotiated this… partnership.” 

“Partnership.” She couldn’t help her scoff. “Though he is interesting. So far I couldn’t read any emotion other than irritation.”

“Oh, he gets mad.” Mike’s smile gave him away, making her raise her brow in question. “He gets mad at dirt and filth for some reason. I don’t know what’s up with the programming.”

“He also matches his body temperature to human upon physical contact,” Zoe added, and it was Mike's turn to raise his brow at her. “A handshake.” was her reply.

“Erwin, he-” Mike started when the bell chimed once again and their heads turned towards the door. Speak of the devil. 

“God, we can’t even talk about you anymore without you showing up.” She said, watching him walk over to their table. Out of the usual suit, dressed in just a pair of jeans and a shirt he looked much more like the Erwin she knew. Still a pompous ass, but a lot less punchable and a bit hotter. As Erwin sat down at the table, taking Zoe’s glass away from her and downing its contents, all three of them were suddenly transported to a time where things were much simpler, and the only issue they had was how to _stop_ both Zoe and Erwin from drinking and making the same mistake again, with Mike’s wholehearted lack of desire to be a part of anything the two had or didn’t have. 

“Easy,” Mike said, looking at his friend, at the same time trying to gage Zoe’s reaction. She didn’t even flinch, but took her glass back and poured more. 

“Take your own glass, Erwin.” She said, leaning back in her chair, but the one who stood up and grabbed a glass was Mike. God, it’s been over a decade since they last sat like this. Around them, an air of tension, between them, a secret none of the tree wanted to address first. 

“So.” Erwin started, his shoulders visibly relaxed, his index finger circling along the edge of the glass Mike had put in front of him. “Guess we have some catching up to do. As friends.” 

The way he said friends made Zoe shoot up a glare towards him, and Mike let out a long sigh. Erwin couldn’t drink a lot, so he usually didn’t, but when he did his tongue would run loose, and it was almost as if he had a talent of bringing the worst out of himself and others alike. 

“Friends.” Zoe couldn’t help but scoff. “That’s hardly a word to describe someone who broke your nose last time you saw them.” 

Erwin laughed in response. But the laugh was off, as it always was, forced out, curt, not touching his eyes. There wasn’t even an ounce of honesty in it. 

“Would you prefer ex-fuckbuddies, then?” 

Mike let out another sigh. “Give it a rest, Erwin.”

“No. I don’t think I will. I think there are certain benefits of making Zo a bit angry with me.” Erwin chuckled, and there it was again. Zo. The nickname that was reserved for only the two when they were alone, but he felt compelled to wave it around lately, after fifteen years, after putting her life at risk. 

It was unfair how he still managed to grind her gears, but Zoe was older, and though she’d love nothing more than to shut him up, she was smarter and more patient than that.

“I can’t, for the life of me, think what those benefits would be. And I wouldn’t be so sure you still possess the same talent of making me angry.” She replied, not sparing a look in Erwin’s direction. 

“Do you two _have_ to do this here? With my present? Smells like you’re about to fight and fuck again.” Mike frowned at his friends. Though he knew almost everything that happened between the two in the past, the situation they found themselves in confused him. Erwin was still the same, behind an unreadable facade, stood a lost man, begging to have the control taken away from him, at the same time unable to let go of it. Zoe, however, in all the years that he’s known her changed so drastically. She wore the glasses to hide behind, to hide all the resentment, rage and hatred she felt. Thanks to her quick wit, her every word was weighed and served a purpose of either putting up a wall, or forcing out a reaction and information she needed, and sometimes both, carefully fueled by all the emotions she felt. Zoe managed to somehow always turn her impulses to her benefit, channelling it towards getting her way. She had the control Erwin spent so much energy emulating, but couldn’t get right. It was the power he wanted, and she didn’t care about.

“Was it like this before? We fought and fucked?” Erwin asked. 

“No. We drank and fucked.” 

“You two couldn’t keep your eyes off each other.” Mike added, “Now you can barely look at one another. I’m leaving- you guys resolve whatever pent up frustrations you have with each other, just don’t trash my bar.” He stood up, throwing the keys to Zoe. “Lock up and bring the keys to me tomorrow.”

Mike, darling Mike, Zoe thought. He’d always say he didn’t wish to be involved but did his best to give them the incentive and then disappear at the right moment. She watched him leave, before turning to Erwin, whose eyes were stuck to the table in front of him. 

“Are we about to fight?” Her question was quiet, making him lift his gaze to her. She pushed her glass away. He lifted his and downed it before answering. 

“No.”

“What about fuck?” had been her next question and Erwin choked at her sudden bluntness. Zoe smiled, but there was something sad in her smile, and they both knew it. 

“If I asked would you say yes?”

“No, I don’t think so.” 

“You’re angry with me. Still.”

“Yes.”

“You’re not yelling at me.” 

“Erwin,” Zoe started, looking at the question in his eyes, “I don’t deal with my emotions in the same way I used to back then. I was always fucking angry. I channelled it in every way I could possibly think of, I was violent and volatile, and I have no qualms I’ve hurt people. Even you.”

“I didn’t mind it.”

A confession. Her face was a question at first, realization second, and sadness third. Memories came flooding between the two, as they compared them to where they stood now. 

“You’ve changed, Zo.”

“At first, I thought you did too.” Finally, Erwin let his eyes soften and a small smile played on his lips, as Zoe continued, “But you’re still a boy so resolute to bite more than you can chew.”

“I’ve missed you.” He said, and an old, all-too-know ache sparks in her chest. It couldn’t be love, she told herself. It was what she had felt for him, the remains of who they were before that odd reunion.

“I wish I could say the same.” She was quiet, so quiet that her response came almost as a whisper, and the honesty of the statement somehow hit both of them. 

“Zo.” Erwin started but she only shook her head

“Don’t call me that.” It took him back a little, but it seemed like he was accepting things changed between them. 

“Hange,” Erwin opted instead, and she found it more bearable, “You must know there are reasons why I involved you in this.”

“And none of them benefit me.” Her immediate response came with a bitter undertone. “You play into my weaknesses, show up so suddenly, pretend like there is no fifteen-year gap between us like I’ve been just waiting for you. It’s unfair.”

“I know.” 

“What am I supposed to do, then?”

“Stay.” Even drunk, even when weighed down, even when the decisions he had been making have weighed him down, even when he thought he had thrown all his weaknesses and humanity away, Erwin Smith, the man behind the iron mask, was still there, fragmented, in need. The request made Zoe stand up. She felt like leaving him, she felt like running away, as her feelings for the man hadn’t dwindled even a bit, and it was dangerous to see the man behind the duty and devotion. 

As she did, though, Erwin reached for her. His hold was firm around her wrist in an attempt to keep her. For a split of a second Zoe mistook it for a hold of a drowning man, but it was Erwin. Erwin she always knew, Erwin who was already way below the surface by his own choice, and she was just an air bubble he refused to let out. 

“It hurts.” A lie, both of them were aware of. He just shook his head, and repeated,

“Stay.”

This time, it wasn’t a request, it wasn’t a plea. It was an order and at that moment, Zoe knew she won the battle, but ultimately lost the war. She would do anything he asked of her. But not tonight.

Wiggling out of his grip, Zoe gently caressed his cheek and leaned forward. He felt warm to touch, feverish. Placing a soft kiss to his forehead, she could hear his sigh.

“You’re so fucking weak, Erwin.” 

And she left with those words, hoping he’d have half a mind to lock up after himself and take the keys to Mike in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, a first disclaimer. This chapter has been both written and edited in a very feverish attempt to get to the fucking point as to where Erwin and Hange stood. I love them both, but I really should make it a point that their relationship, and this entire work as well ISN'T very romantic. Yes, there are feelings involved, and yes a lot of human emotion is touched upon, but I am just playing with the idea of two hard asses not being able to come to terms with their feelings in the circumstances they've found themselves in and I do not endorse treating others the way these two do. Practice healthy communication and hopefully, you'll never have to meet old loves in times of humanity almost being wiped off the face of the earth. 
> 
> As always, feedback and comments are appreciated and thank you so much for reading this story. Lots of love!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for joining in this adventure. This story has existed in my mind for so long, maybe it's time to let it out and share it with the world.  
> Special thanks to Liam, my beta.  
> Absolute love to my twin, who inspired me and with whom I told a tale similar to this one.  
> And a very very warm thank you for allowing me to share this story with you.


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